Tuesday, November 4 is Election Day. There are important votes for governor and other federal, state and local offices as well as important initiatives. Voting is a citizen's fundamental right, and I urge you to use this opportunity to let your voice be heard.

By Paul Koch, Dean, Division of Physical and Biological Sciences — We're in the midst of a seemingly endless conversation about "the value of higher education" and the role of top research universities like UC Santa Cruz.
Should we pursue knowledge for its own sake? Or should we focus on creating "useful" knowledge and informed, clear-headed graduates?
The answer is that we must do both.

Greg Neri’s award-winning books have yet to hit the New York Times best-seller list, but they have a distinction about which the UC Santa Cruz graduate is proud. Librarians across the country tell him his teen novels are among the books most often stolen from shelves.

By Keith Brant, Vice Chancellor, University Relations — A year ago this week, we launched the public phase of The Campaign for UC Santa Cruz, the first comprehensive effort to raise the stakes in private support for the campus. The first year was a rousing success. In the fiscal year ending in June, the campus raised a record $50 million in new gifts, pledges, and planned gifts, pushing the campaign total past the $180 million mark and closer to the $300 million goal.

People often ask, "Where were you?" when something momentous and tragic happens—I guess it's a way to bond, grieve, and share.One such event occurred at 5:04 p.m. on October 17, 1989—25 years ago this month.

When I walked onto the UC Santa Cruz campus as a young assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics in 1972, I had no idea I'd be here for the next 42 years. The campus was just seven years old—no one was thinking of its 50th anniversary. Yet here I am, and here we are.

The Graduate Student Commons is starting the process of looking for a new restaurant vendor for the first floor of our building in the Quarry Plaza. The space is currently occupied by Joe's Pizza and Subs, whose contract ends at the end of the academic year.

PPSM Policy 2.210 (Absence from Work) was revised to include a number of technical changes with a focus on aligning the policy with legal requirements enacted since the last issuance of the policy in early 2013.

By Sarah Latham, Vice Chancellor, Business and Administrative Services — Water conservation has long been an important part of environmental stewardship at UC Santa Cruz. Today, the campus uses about 178 million gallons of water annually; scarcely more water than the 170 million gallons we used 20 years ago, despite having nearly 7,000 more students.

By Alison Galloway, Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor — During the past academic year, the campus engaged in a strategic planning process titled Envision UCSC. That process, involving more than 1,000 stakeholders, was designed to identify our most critical priorities for the next few years.